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To state that the federal government has brought sweeping changes in the past three months would be an understatement. The immediate impacts of the Trump administration’s executive orders, far-right rhetoric and subversion of constitutional tradition are already sending political, economic and social shockwaves across the country, especially for individuals and communities who have been directly targeted by these actions. Earlier this month, over 1,400 cities across the U.S. held protests condemning the government’s actions, and a database at New York University states that 127 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration since January. This outrage is not merely justified, but necessary.
However, it’s important to lean into outrage that drives progress while avoiding outrage that distracts us from the fight. Amidst the constant barrage of absurdity, we must take care to ensure that our actions are efficient, strategic and aligned with our broader goals.
Firstly, we must avoid being taken by surprise. When we are constantly getting frazzled by a storm of bad news, it’s difficult to sort through the chaos and come up with an organized response. This is part of the government’s strategy to destabilize us. So, while we cannot predict everything that the Trump administration will do for the next four years, we should expect that they will not hesitate to implement broad changes, and those changes will not always be logical. We might not know what the federal government is cooking for dinner, but we know that there is always a pot on the stove.
The Trump administration is full of unqualified, corrupt and often hypocritical individuals spewing bigoted rhetoric and implementing fascist political maneuvers, and almost every day brings another wildly problematic statement or action from the Right. We must never accept this disgraceful state as our status quo. But Republican politicians use these tactics to elicit panic and despair because they want us to be too shocked to act. Unfortunately, corruption and bigotry in the U.S. government is as typical as finding forks in the kitchen. And no matter how terrible our opponents may be, our goal remains the same: to stand firm and continue challenging the systems that have brought us here.
Some left-leaning movements are disproportionately focused on fighting individuals rather than systems, resulting in an unsustainable movement that fails to drive lasting progress for the political Left. We must confront the unsettling reality that these issues did not start with Trump, and they will not end with Trump. It’s comforting to believe that the rapidly declining condition of democracy and human rights in the United States is solely the fault of one terrible bogeyman and a handful of his sinister goons, and it’s easy to fall into this trap when Trump and his team embody the audacity, cruelty and buffoonery of cartoon villains. But this coup is happening because over 77 million Americans willingly voted to entrust Trump with this authority. Fighting this administration is crucial to protecting our rights, but it is just the first step towards deconstructing centuries of oppressive systems and bigotry.
For many of us, Trump’s presidency felt like a surprise because we wanted to believe that our country was better than this. Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that the majority of voters backed a racist, misogynistic president over a woman of color in a country where 46 out of 47 presidents have been white men. It’s not surprising that billionaire CEOs are using their wealth to expand their influence and silence opposition because the ruling class in a capitalist society has always maintained its power by exploiting and oppressing others. Trump may currently be the most notorious symbol of the alt-right in the United States, but the movement that enabled his rise to power is a product of a larger fissure in our society, not merely a glitch in an otherwise functional system.
The immediate repercussions of Trump’s administration are heinous, and the collective panic, pain and rage that has rippled through our communities are natural responses when our rights are under attack. We must support each other through this distress, but we must not allow ourselves to be paralyzed by our fear. Our fear is not a weakness; it is the pressure of knowing that our futures are worth fighting for.
Don’t get distracted by the circus. Let’s focus on stopping the clown car.